Printable Version | Subscribe | Add to Favourites
New Topic New Poll New Reply
Author: Subject: Set of taps? How much to spend.
dhutch

posted on 6/7/11 at 11:02 AM Reply With Quote
Set of taps? How much to spend.

I need an M6 tap to tap out a hole in the bottom of my engine block, proberbly a bottoming or atleast intermediate tap as its a blind hole and i dont want to drill further than i have to.

Obviously i could just buy what i need, infact for a drive over to my parents i could borrow it, but as will proberbly need another in another size at some point and proberbly again after that, im tempted to get a set. Say an m3, m4, m6, m8, m10 an m12 and an m14 which i could do with to make a boss for a temp sender.

Given i'll not be tapping 100's, just a handfull now and then, all be in in a mix of materials and for the next 50 years, how much is sensable to spend on a set and are there any recomened brands?


Daniel

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
bbwales

posted on 6/7/11 at 11:08 AM Reply With Quote
Hi,

I bought a set from Aldi for I think £10 and they have lasted very well and are still going strong, a full set of metric taps and dies.

Regards

Bob

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
Neville Jones

posted on 6/7/11 at 11:09 AM Reply With Quote
Go to Tracy Tools. They do excellent quality and value, and you'll get a set that you'll have for life.

Cheers,
nev.

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
steve m

posted on 6/7/11 at 11:10 AM Reply With Quote
I have an old Talco " cheapy" set set that must be 35 years old, and is still in use today

in fact it was today, !

there not the best sets, but ideal for cleaning up threads,

Fot making new threads it is worth buying a better quality tap

Steve

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
Steve Hignett

posted on 6/7/11 at 11:24 AM Reply With Quote
The tap sets that Halfords do aren't to bad at all, and I think they're about £20...
View User's Profile Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
coozer

posted on 6/7/11 at 12:11 PM Reply With Quote
My Aldi set is rough, the tap handle exploded... I go to Cromwell tools and buy what ever I need when I need it now. Tap handle quality is superb compared to the soft cast ali aldi one.





1972 V8 Jago

1980 Z750

View User's Profile Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
hughpinder

posted on 6/7/11 at 12:26 PM Reply With Quote
I go to tracytools.com - good quality, reasonable price and usually arrive the day after ordering.
Get the 'small size' metric set (m3-m12?) and the m14 separate. Dont forget the tapping and clearance drills at the same time. A can of drillinga nd tapping lube is well worth having too.

Regards
Hugh

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
tony-devon

posted on 6/7/11 at 01:27 PM Reply With Quote
I would have to say that you should buy the best you can afford, taps are the sort of things that will cause you far more hassle when they fail, than your saving by buying cheap

I only have Titex in my tool chest, they have been virtually indestructible over the years

was in a hurry one day and doing a roadside repair of something, 1" steel plate, due to the access to it, I used cordless drill to put the drill bit through, and them M12 tap in the drill and done.

that was a one off that I wouldnt repeat, but certainly showed the ability of them

I beleive that with tools you should buy once.





heavy is good, heavy is reliable, and if it breaks, hit them with it

View User's Profile E-Mail User Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
Litemoth

posted on 6/7/11 at 02:59 PM Reply With Quote
In my opinion, I would buy a good set of stocks (the turney bar spanner thing for the uninitiated), then just buy the taps you need ...M4,5,6, 8, 10, 12 perhaps being the most common. I have a Kennedy stocks set from Cromwell that seem to be sound.
Cheap taps can be heart-breakers when they snap or wreck the one chance you have at getting right...get good HSS ones (Dormer or Presto or similar) from an engineers' supplies or similar....

that's my take anyhoo

[Edited on 7/7/11 by Litemoth]

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
blakep82

posted on 6/7/11 at 03:04 PM Reply With Quote
try tapdie.com (or .co.uk?) i find for our use they're great, and very cheap too.





________________________

IVA manual link http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?type=RESOURCES&itemId=1081997083

don't write OT on a new thread title, you're creating the topic, everything you write is very much ON topic!

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
Phil.J

posted on 6/7/11 at 03:19 PM Reply With Quote
I'll second everyone else and say buy only the best quality taps. Just imagine the consequencies of a tap snapping when doing a cylinder head job for instance. By the time you've taken the head off, taken it to be spark eroded and helicoiled and refitted it, the quality taps will seen cheap by comparison.
View User's Profile E-Mail User View All Posts By User U2U Member
John Bonnett

posted on 7/7/11 at 06:07 PM Reply With Quote
I'd just add that if you can afford them, buy HSS rather than carbon steel . If you ever need to tap a thread into stainless you will be pleased you bought high speed steel.

John

View User's Profile Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
dhutch

posted on 12/7/11 at 08:32 AM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Phil.J
I'll second everyone else and say buy only the best quality taps. Just imagine the consequencies of a tap snapping when doing a cylinder head job for instance. By the time you've taken the head off, taken it to be spark eroded and helicoiled and refitted it, the quality taps will seen cheap by comparison.

I've never snapped a tap, but i can very well imagine this is incredably true!
quote:
Originally posted by John Bonnett
I'd just add that if you can afford them, buy HSS rather than carbon steel . If you ever need to tap a thread into stainless you will be pleased you bought high speed steel.

What about cast iron, or cast steel?

Just becuase, and linking in with the previous post, the first job i'll be doing will be to tap an M6 hold in the bottom of the engine (within the sump area) to secure a heaviely modified pickup pipe and im keen not to get it wrong, particuarly as time is currently short and im due to go on holiday with the car at the end of next week (during which time i also need to move house) and the engine will be in situ for the job so i'll be taping upside down under a car!

Tap in a cordless? The production line here run them through with an makita impact driver.


Daniel

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
designer

posted on 12/7/11 at 08:58 AM Reply With Quote
I think the trick is to only buy the tap you need, then you can buy a good quality unit, and don't have ten others rattling about the draw unused.
View User's Profile E-Mail User Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
John Bonnett

posted on 12/7/11 at 04:43 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by designer
I think the trick is to only buy the tap you need, then you can buy a good quality unit, and don't have ten others rattling about the draw unused.


I'd agree with that; it's certainly what I've done and I'd definitely recommend Cromwell Tools as a supplier of quality tools.

John

[Edited on 12/7/11 by John Bonnett]

View User's Profile Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
AntonUK

posted on 19/7/11 at 09:07 PM Reply With Quote
I have the draper set and i cant fault it... saves searching for the correct drill bit too

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000PJCEYQ/ref=asc_df_B000PJCEYQ3661929?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&tag=googlecouk06-21&linkCode=asn&creative=22206& ;creativeASIN=B000PJCEYQ

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member

New Topic New Poll New Reply


go to top






Website design and SEO by Studio Montage

All content © 2001-16 LocostBuilders. Reproduction prohibited
Opinions expressed in public posts are those of the author and do not necessarily represent
the views of other users or any member of the LocostBuilders team.
Running XMB 1.8 Partagium [© 2002 XMB Group] on Apache under CentOS Linux
Founded, built and operated by ChrisW.